Chapter 511: Family Business

Arion returned to the observation station with an enormous brown bear following him.

That was not part of the original plan.

The animal had accompanied him as far as the marked perimeter before Arion stopped, turned, and pointed toward the trees.

"Stay here."

The bear sat.

Arion looked at it for several seconds, wondering whether the instruction would remain effective once he left the territory.

The animal watched him with its completely black eyes, then lowered its enormous head onto its forepaws.

Apparently, it intended to behave.

Arion continued toward the secured gate.

Behind him, the remaining animals had dispersed through the forest, although several continued watching his departure with an attention that was becoming disturbingly familiar.

The wolves stood together near the limestone overhang. The deer had moved toward the lower vegetation, while the lynx was currently occupying a tree branch that looked entirely too thin to support its weight.

At least they were no longer attempting to follow him.

Hendrik met him at the inner gate.

His tablet displayed twelve moving thermal signatures, all considerably smaller than they had been an hour earlier.

Arion glanced at the screen.

"Any changes?"

"None that suggest aggression. The animals are exploring their surroundings, and the bear has apparently decided the perimeter belongs to him."

Arion looked over his shoulder.

The bear had not moved.

"That seems reasonable."

Hendrik stared at him.

Arion continued through the gate.

Dean was waiting inside the observation station with his arms folded over the curve of his stomach, his pale-blue shirt slightly creased from several hours of sitting in a chair he had repeatedly informed everyone was uncomfortable.

Nero stood beside him, looking considerably more entertained than anyone involved in the operation had a right to be.

Dean examined Arion from head to toe.

"Brain functioning?"

Arion looked at him.

"Unfortunately."

Dean smiled and stepped closer.

Arion caught him around the waist before he could finish crossing the room, lowering his head to kiss his forehead while familiar mint-lemon pheromones settled against him.

Dean leaned into the embrace.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Dean looked up.

"You made a bear."

Arion closed his eyes.

"Dean."

His husband smiled.

"I married a very talented man."

Nero started laughing.

Arion decided he had been remarkably patient with both of them.

Hendrik had considerably less patience left.

By the time Arion returned from the medical examination Victor insisted upon conducting remotely, the commander had already contacted three monitoring teams and ordered continuous observation of the transformed animals.

The forest remained restricted.

Drones would continue monitoring their movement, metabolic activity, and pheromonal output until Victor determined whether the transformations were stable.

Unfortunately, that created an entirely new administrative problem.

Hendrik looked toward the screen showing the brown bear scratching its back against a pine tree.

"Do I need wildlife specialists?"

Nero turned toward him.

"That sounds reasonable."

"They are infected beasts."

"They are also currently bears, wolves, and whatever that thing is."

Nero pointed toward the lynx.

Hendrik gave him a flat look.

"I know what a lynx is."

"Then you already have a head start."

Arion leaned against the observation table.

"Bring in a small team under medical clearance. They do not need to know how the animals changed."

Hendrik considered that.

"They will ask why every animal has completely black eyes."

"Tell them the animals are being monitored following experimental treatment."

"That is technically accurate."

"Yes."

Hendrik looked toward the forest.

"And if they turn back into beasts?"

Arion had no answer.

Victor’s voice came through the speaker.

"Then I suggest the wildlife specialists remain behind reinforced observation glass."

Hendrik rubbed his forehead.

"Wonderful."

Dean smiled.

Arion knew that expression.

It was the same one Dean wore whenever he discovered something entertaining that was going to become someone else’s administrative problem.

Unfortunately, he suspected Hendrik had already reached the same conclusion.

They returned to the imperial residence shortly before dinner.

Nero accompanied them because apparently his remaining week of freedom had become dedicated to discovering how many impossible things Arion could accomplish before someone finally demanded an explanation.

Dean spent most of the journey leaning against Arion, one hand resting over their son while he reviewed the wildlife footage on his tablet.

The bear had remained near the perimeter.

The wolves had disappeared beneath the trees.

The lynx had successfully climbed down.

Dean considered the last development personally reassuring.

Arion considered the entire afternoon sufficient justification for several days without additional experiments.

When they reached their private residence, Boreas greeted them at the entrance with enough enthusiasm to make Dean laugh.

The enormous dog sniffed Arion, accepted several scratches behind his ears, then returned to Dean’s side.

Ducky appeared behind him.

The little black dog stopped in front of Arion and lifted one paw.

Arion looked down.

The animal placed it against his boot.

Dean covered his mouth.

Nero laughed.

"You realize the other eleven are going to learn that."

Arion looked toward the secured garden.

Several black-eyed dogs were already watching them through the glass doors.

He sighed.

"I am beginning to regret everything."

Dean leaned against his arm.

"No, you aren’t."

Unfortunately, he was right.

Otto met Arion later that evening.

The emperor had watched the entire operation through the secured observation feed, although he had remained in Alamina’s central command room rather than traveling to the restricted territory himself.

Arion found him in the private study adjoining the emperor’s residence, dressed in dark trousers and an open-collared shirt, with the afternoon reports spread across his desk.

Minerva had apparently been there earlier.

A tiny yellow duck wearing sunglasses stood beside the imperial seal.

Otto noticed Arion looking at it.

"Do not ask."

"I wasn’t going to."

"Your husband is becoming a menace."

"He was already a menace."

Otto sighed and pushed the reports aside.

Then his expression became serious.

"You did well today."

Arion sat opposite him.

"I turned infected beasts into wildlife."

"Yes."

"I have no idea how."

"That is why Victor is still involved."

Arion looked toward the windows.

The gardens outside had darkened, the first lights appearing along the stone paths between the palace buildings.

"I expected you to stop the experiment."

Otto leaned back.

"Why?"

"Because we don’t understand what is happening to me."

"That is precisely why you needed to test it."

Arion looked at him.

Otto continued.

"I supervised the operation because the risk was real. I did not intend to make every decision for you."

"You allowed me to enter an infected territory."

"Under controlled conditions, with medical supervision, military support, and your own agreement."

Otto’s expression softened slightly.

"You are my son, Arion. You are also an adult, a sigma, and the crown prince of Alamina. I trust you to make decisions about your own abilities."

Arion was quiet for several seconds.

Then he nodded.

"Thank you."

Otto looked toward the reports again.

"There is one matter we need to agree on."

"The animals?"

"The information."

Arion understood immediately.

Otto folded his hands on the desk.

"The medical board knows enough to treat you. Hendrik’s monitoring teams know what they need to perform their duties. The wildlife specialists will receive only the information necessary to work safely."

"And the rest?"

"Remains classified."

Arion considered the implications.

If the public learned he could control infected beasts, every government with an infected territory would want access to him.

Every military organization would begin considering what such an ability meant.

And every surviving member of Claudia’s network would know exactly what had emerged from their experiments.

Otto looked directly at him.

"The secret stays within the family and the few people whose involvement is absolutely necessary."

Arion nodded.

"Agreed."

"Not even the details of your childhood infection become public."

"No."

Otto glanced toward the tablet displaying the forest footage.

"We announce that Alamina has made progress in studying infected wildlife. Nothing more."

That was sufficient.

Arion rose a few minutes later, collecting the medical summary Victor had sent before leaving.

At the doorway, Otto called after him.

"Arion."

He turned.

"Spend some time with Dean. You have done enough for one day."